2.5 stars

CW: child abuse, PTSD, death of family members, ableism

Everything, Everything has been on my TBR for years, and now that I’ve read it, I must admit that I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I read it as a younger teen. It wasn’t terrible; however, I found many elements cliché and in general, this novel wasn’t my cup of tea.

First, I want to say that I did like the doodles scattered throughout. They were fun and added a little something extra to the story.

The main character Maddy is biracial, half African and half Japanese. I can’t comment on the rep, but for the most part I did like her as a character. However, there were times that I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her because she was impulsive and/or ridiculous. She turns eighteen toward the beginning of the novel, so while she’s still technically a teen, she’s also an adult. She’s clearly a smart girl, but sometimes she…doesn’t act like it.

In relation to my last point, many characters seemed to take certain traits to an extreme level. Maddy had a flair for the dramatic and her mom and new nurse were honestly terrible. I liked her mom at first, but as the book went on, I liked her less. (Note that this has nothing to do with her own mental illness.) The only two I liked without fail were Carla and Olly.

Something I noticed as I read was that the family’s financial situation seemed dubious. I don’t recall any mention of financial assistance or struggle, but I’m not sure how they made everything work. An air filtration system like they have can’t be cheap, and having a nurse for fifteen years, if I remember correctly, must also add up. And Maddy can still do some impromptu online clothes shopping, without even asking her mom first? It made me raise an eyebrow, for sure.

I think my biggest issue was the major case of insta-love. I can’t help but wonder if Maddy would’ve fallen in love with Olly if he wasn’t the first boy she ever met. Not to mention that their romance was so fast-paced, and in general I thought it was questionable, especially if we’re talking about the risks Maddy took for Olly and their relationship.

While we’re on the subject of Olly, that boy deserves better. He has a rough, abusive home life, and his romance with Maddy is good for him until she drops him like a hot potato. They kissed, they had sex, they even ran away, and then she won’t even talk to him. I want to give this boy a hug.

This might just be me being petty, but toward the end, I found a small detail unrealistic. Maddy goes a month, maybe more, without reading Olly’s emails, only deletes them as soon as she gets them. Yet they’re sitting in her trash folder, still able to be read. Isn’t your trash folder emptied every thirty days? This shouldn’t be possible? Ultimately this is absolutely insignificant, but I felt like bringing it up anyway. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I knew the end was considered controversial, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I did guess something similar before the reveal, and while admittedly, I found it interesting, I can see why people wouldn’t like it. I don’t have SCID or any other illness or disability, and I couldn’t find a review by someone with SCID. However, in another review, I did find a link to an article on Disability in Kidlit, and I think it’s worth checking out. Beware of spoilers if you haven’t read the book. http://disabilityinkidlit.com/2015/09/04/review-everything-everything-by-nicola-yoon/

And to be honest, it really does feel like a cop-out.

But despite the issues I had, I did enjoy parts of Everything, Everything. I never thought of DNFing it, and a few moments were genuinely sweet or otherwise emotional. I liked Olly, and if the end was better written, I think this novel could’ve been good. I’m eager to read The Sun is Also a Star and see how Yoon has improved.